Flying

Cut two feet off the Learjet 45's fuselage, throw out two passenger seats, drain 100 gallons of fuel and this is what you get: a $9.46 million bullet that is sexy, leggy and fast. It's called the Learjet 40XR.

As the recession drags on, charter operators are facing continued declines in business. The good news for passengers is that a growing number of these operators are launching fixed-price flights and other programs aimed at bringing back customers. The deals that can be had confirm it's a classic buyer's market.

Much has been written recently by defenders of business aviation about the 5,000 airports accessible to our aircraft in the U.S. That compares with the estimated 500 that accept airline service and the approximately 70 airports that handle the vast majority of airline flights.

Until now, Cessna's Citation Mustang "entry level" twinjet was seen as the unequivocal best of breed. While the Mustang is a fine airplane, its market dominance was not particularly difficult as every other competitor failed to gain FAA certification, slid into bankruptcy, or both.

As the new century's first decade winds down, we are "connected" in flight as never before. At 41,000 feet, we can exchange e-mails and text messages, watch satellite TV and instantly access all the resources on the Internet.

One of the easiest ways to book a charter flight is through a broker. Charter brokers often have access to hundreds of aircraft and can offer services such as catering and ground transportation that small charter operators aren't able to provide. The downside, however, is that of the hundreds of brokers in existence, no two have the same safety standards or business ethics.

Quote/Unquote

“What we need to do is always lean into the future. When the world changes around you and when it changes against you—what used to be a tail wind is now a head wind—you have to lean into that and figure out what to do because complaining isn’t a strategy.
”